Even Raises $1.5 Million To Launch Solution To Replenish Nutrients And Manage Side Effects Resulting From Medication Use

For many entrepreneurs, the story of building their own business starts with a personal experience. The same happened to Sarah Morgan, co-founder and CEO of Even – a medical company focused on improving the quality of life of medication users. Using food and nutrients to optimize gene expression, for more than 13 years of running her clinical practice in Denver, Sarah has helped thousands of individuals with complex health issues. She also wrote the book ‘Buddies In My Belly’ to teach children about the microbiome and gut health. 

Even’s nutrient repletion systems are designed to address Medication-Induced Nutrient Depletions (M.I.N.D.) and mitigate potential side effects of antidepressants, birth control, and statins related to nutrient deficiencies. The brand offers medical foods backed by decades of known medication-nutrient research, designed by a team of physicians, nutritionists, and pharmacists. Co-founded by Morgan and her co-founder Grant Hosking, Even is on a mission to enrich medication users’ daily quality of life. 

“It all started when I personally experienced the side effects of my medication. I started birth control in my early 20’s and quickly felt moody and just not myself. So I went to my most trusted, advisors, my girlfriends on the pill, and asked them if they had any issues. They all smiled and said “Sarah, welcome to the club of depression, anxiety, headaches, fatigue, breakouts, weight gain, and low libido. Isn’t it fun?!” I laughed on the outside but inside I knew there had to be a better way. I was determined to figure out why these side effects occur for women on birth control. And my experience continued in my clinical practice,” Morgan shares with me. 

But she kept hearing the same complaints of side effects from her patients on certain medications. What she discovered was illuminating: the same glaring nutrient deficiencies and biochemical imbalances in their bloodwork, again and again. This is what, as Morgan explained to me, is called M.I.N.D. (medication-induced nutrient depletions). It’s a pharmaceutical truth medical doctors and pharmacists are taught in their training but no one was addressing it, so Morgan decided to create a better future with medication, and Even was born. 

Nearly 70% of Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center researchers say. Antibiotics, antidepressants, and painkilling opioids are most commonly prescribed, their study found. Twenty percent of patients are on five or more prescription medications, according to the findings, published online in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. On top of that, despite causing an estimated 125,000 avoidable deaths each year and $100 billion annually in preventable health care costs, medication nonadherence is barely on the radar of most practicing physicians. 

Even’s customers are medication users (managing their conditions and health goals with medications such as birth control, antidepressants, cholesterol, blood pressure, thyroid, acid reflux medication, and more) that are passionate about their health, want to do everything they can to set themselves up for a healthy future. Let me give you an example. Talk to a group of women about their birth control. Quickly the conversation will move to describe the mood swings, depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, headaches, fatigue, digestive issues, weight gain. Same for individuals on antidepressants, according to Morgan. The headaches, low libido, poor sleep are really challenging. “In my 13 years of clinical practice, I saw so much unnecessary suffering and a problem that was not being addressed while people were using the medications they needed. We want to teach the world this truth about medication use, that you have unique nutrient needs that must be met, and in doing so quality of life improves.”

In March this year, Even officially launched and announced $1.5 million seed funding led by Align Ventures, Spring Street Group, and GAN Ventures. “Some awesome friends and family also believed and invested in Even,” adds Morgan. As the first commercially available nutrition repletion therapy, Even introduced three patent-pending and scientifically-designed formulas to mitigate negative symptoms of essential medications: Even for Birth Control, Even for Antidepressants, and Even for Statins, targeting the replenishment of key vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, mitochondrial nutrients, and more specific to each medication category. “Fundraising through everything that was happening in the world last year was pretty wild. We closed our round as Covid-19 hit NYC. Everyone held their breath as the unknown hit our world. But more than ever, we all knew investing in the health of people was the best thing we could do.” 

Morgan is very proud of some major milestones the brand achieved so far – a big rebrand and changing regulatory categories to medical food. “A medical food is a unique category according to the FDA that is in between a dietary supplement and medication. Medical foods are used to manage special dietary requirements that cannot be met by diet alone, used under the supervision of a healthcare professional (not a prescription), and must have scientific literature to support its need and use. We are working on several strategic partnerships as well as expanding our offerings in ways that will make medication use more friendly to millions,” she concludes.